Matt Hadan
Encyclopedia
Matthew Merle Hadan is an American professional "Old/Mid School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX)
racer whose prime competitive years are from 1985-1995. Nicknamed early in his career "The Master" and later "The Diesel".
Started racing: At 10 years old in 1981. He first noticed BMX in a BMX magazine in 1980 featuring racer Jason Jensen and his involvement in the sport and young Matt wanted to try it. His father took him to the Azusa, California, track and Matt thought it looked like fun.
Sanctioning body:
Sanctioning body home district(s): American Bicycle Association (ABA) District California 13 (CA-13) (1985)
First race result: First place in 10 beginner class. He would win two more consecutive beginner races and then a few months later turn expert.
First win (local):
First sponsor: Monrovia Schwinn 1981
First national win: See above.
Turned Professional: December 1989.
First Professional race result: Sixth place in Pro class at the National Bicycle League (NBL) Christmas Classic on December 28, 1989. He won USD$80
(USD$132.71 in 2007). Cost of Living Calculator He also came in third place in Pro Award winning USD$60 (USD$99.53 2007). Beginning with the 1990 season the NBL "B" pro became the Pro/Am "Superclass" and the Senior "A" Pro class became simply the Pro Class.
First Professional win: In Pro Open at the American Bicycle Association (ABA) Silver Dollar Nationals in Reno, Nevada
on January 14, 1990.
First Junior Pro* race result: See "First Professional race result". Any pro could race pro class, skipping the then new NBL Pro/Am superclass.
First Junior Pro win: In "A" pro at the ABA Winternationals in Chandler, Arizona
on February 18, 1990.
First Senior Pro** race result: See "First Professional race result".
First Senior Pro win: In "A" pro at the NBL Easter Classic in Sarasota, Florida
on day two of the national on April 15, 1990.
Retired: 2002
Height & weight at height of her career (1987–1997): Ht:5'11" Wt:180 lbs.
National Bicycle League (NBL)
American Bicycle Association (ABA)
United States Bicycle Motocross Association
(USBA)
Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)*
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)*
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)*
Other titles:
(NBA)
National Bicycle League
(NBL)
American Bicycle Association
(ABA)
United States Bicycle Motocross Association
(USBA)
Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)*
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)*
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)*
Pro Series Championships
Minicycle/BMX Action & Super BMX:
Bicycle Motocross Action & Go:
BMX Plus!:
Total BMX:
Bicycles and Dirt (ABA Publication):
Snap BMX Magazine & Transworld BMX:
Twenty BMX:
BMX World:
NBA World & NBmxA (The official NBA/NBmxA membership publication):
Bicycles Today & BMX Today (The official NBL membership publication with one name change.):
ABA Action, American BMXer, BMXer (The official ABA membership publication with two name changes):
USBA Racer (The official USBA membership publication):
BMX
Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...
racer whose prime competitive years are from 1985-1995. Nicknamed early in his career "The Master" and later "The Diesel".
Racing career milestones
----Started racing: At 10 years old in 1981. He first noticed BMX in a BMX magazine in 1980 featuring racer Jason Jensen and his involvement in the sport and young Matt wanted to try it. His father took him to the Azusa, California, track and Matt thought it looked like fun.
Sanctioning body:
Sanctioning body home district(s): American Bicycle Association (ABA) District California 13 (CA-13) (1985)
First race result: First place in 10 beginner class. He would win two more consecutive beginner races and then a few months later turn expert.
First win (local):
First sponsor: Monrovia Schwinn 1981
First national win: See above.
Turned Professional: December 1989.
First Professional race result: Sixth place in Pro class at the National Bicycle League (NBL) Christmas Classic on December 28, 1989. He won USD$80
(USD$132.71 in 2007). Cost of Living Calculator He also came in third place in Pro Award winning USD$60 (USD$99.53 2007). Beginning with the 1990 season the NBL "B" pro became the Pro/Am "Superclass" and the Senior "A" Pro class became simply the Pro Class.
First Professional win: In Pro Open at the American Bicycle Association (ABA) Silver Dollar Nationals in Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
on January 14, 1990.
First Junior Pro* race result: See "First Professional race result". Any pro could race pro class, skipping the then new NBL Pro/Am superclass.
First Junior Pro win: In "A" pro at the ABA Winternationals in Chandler, Arizona
Chandler, Arizona
-Demographics:As of the Census of 2010, there were 236,123 people, 86,924 households, and 60,212 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 73.3% White, 4.8% Black or African American, 1.5% Native American, 8.2% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 21.9% Hispanic or Latino, and 8.3%...
on February 18, 1990.
First Senior Pro** race result: See "First Professional race result".
First Senior Pro win: In "A" pro at the NBL Easter Classic in Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...
on day two of the national on April 15, 1990.
Retired: 2002
Height & weight at height of her career (1987–1997): Ht:5'11" Wt:180 lbs.
Amateur/Junior Men
- Monrovia Schwinn (bicycle shop): 1981-1983
- Bandito Racing Products: May 1983-Late February 1984
- Cycle Pro/GHP (Greg Hill Products): Late February 1984-Late December 1984
- Diamondback: Late December 1984-Mid December 1985
- S&K Cycle Center: January 1986-May 10, 1986
- Free Agent: May 11, 1986-December 1987 Hadan was on S&K until May 10 and was picked up the next day by Free Agent which was Day 2 of the ABA Spring Nationals in Stockton, CaliforniaStockton, CaliforniaStockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
. - Diamondback: December 1987-Early February 1991. Hadan will turn professional with this sponsor. Matt Hadan almost was let go along with the rest of the Diamondback racing team when it decided to drop its BMX racing program at the end of the 1989 season. Diamondback management wanted the BMX team to win a team title to justify its budget. When the team didn't win a title with either the NBL or ABA it decided to drop the entire team, including Hadan. Harry LearyHarry LearyHarry Clarence Leary Jr. was a "Old School" professional bicycle motocross racer....
, Diamondback team manager, apparently won his fight to keep Matt Hadan on as its sole racer.
Professional/Elite Men
- Diamondback: January 1988-Early February 1991. Diamondback ends its BMX racing effort by dropping Hadan. Hadan would go without a major sponsor for approximately five months.
- Snap-On Tools: February 1991-April 1991
- Aggro Tech: April 1991-May 1991
- Super Tech: May 1991-Early June 1991.
- U.S. Boss Racing Products: Early June 1991-December 1992
- Kastan Engineering: 1993-1994
- Balance: 1994-December 1995
- Redline Bicycles: December 1995-July 1996. Reportedly Hadan was dropped from the Redline team along with teammate Wade BootesWade BootesWade Bootes is an Australian professional "Mid/Current School" Bicycle Motocross and Mountain Bike racer whose prime competitive years are from 1995 to 2003 in BMX and 1999 to 2004 in MTB. Usually goes by the moniker "Bootsie" or "Bootsey", an obviously diminutive of his surname...
after Redline management got word that both were negotiating with Trek/Gary Fisher. - Trek/Gary Fisher: July 1996-December 1997
- Torker Bicycles February 1998-Mid September 2000
- Redline Bicycles Mid September 2000-December 31, 2001
- Capri: 2003
Amateur/Junior Men
National Bicycle Association (NBA)National Bicycle League (NBL)
- 1984 14 Expert & 14 Cruiser National No.1 (NAG)*
- 1985 15 Expert Grandnational Champion
- 1985 15 Expert & 15 Cruiser National No.1
- 1989 18 & Over Expert National No.1
American Bicycle Association (ABA)
- 1983 13-14 Cruiser Grandnational Champion
- 1985 14 Expert and 14 Cruiser Winter Season California District 13 (CA-13) District Age Group (DAG) No.1*
- 1986 16 Expert & 16 Cruiser Canadian-American (Can-Am) Champion.
- 1986 16 Cruiser Grandnational Champion
- 1986 16 Expert National No.2 & 16 Cruiser National No.1
- 1988 17 & Over Expert Gold Cup West Champion
- 1988 Yamaha Future Pro Champion
- 1988 15 & Over Boys Yamaha East Vs. West Gold Cup Shootout Champion
- 1989 15 Expert National No.3
United States Bicycle Motocross Association
United States Bicycle Motocross Association
The United States Bicycle Association was a short lived Bicycle Motocross national sanctioning body based in Tempe, Arizona. It was founded in March 1984 by five former members of the American Bicycle Association : Rich Mann, Dave Cook, Geoff Sims, Steve Schaefer and Rod Keeling, who became the...
(USBA)
- None
Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)*
- None
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)*
- 1987 16-17 Cruiser World Champion.
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)*
Other titles:
- 1983 Jag 13 & Under Cruiser World Champion (Non Sanctioned)
Professional/Elite Men
National Bicycle AssociationNational Bicycle Association
The National Bicycle Association , later known as the National Bicycle Motocross Association was an United States based Bicycle Motocross sports sanctioning body originally based in Soledad, California that was created by Ernie Alexander in 1973 and ceased operations as an independent body in 1981...
(NBA)
- None (defunct)
National Bicycle League
National Bicycle League
The National Bicycle League is a United States based Bicycle Motocross sports sanctioning body originally based in Deerfield Beach, Florida but after several moves it was based in Hilliard, Ohio...
(NBL)
- None
American Bicycle Association
American Bicycle Association
The American Bicycle Association is a United States-based Bicycle Motocross sports governing body in Gilbert, Arizona created by Merl Mennenga and Gene Roden in 1977. It is the largest sanctioning body in the United States concerning BMX. It has tracks in Canada and Mexico as well as in the USA...
(ABA)
- 2001 Pro Cruiser World Cup Champion
United States Bicycle Motocross Association
United States Bicycle Motocross Association
The United States Bicycle Association was a short lived Bicycle Motocross national sanctioning body based in Tempe, Arizona. It was founded in March 1984 by five former members of the American Bicycle Association : Rich Mann, Dave Cook, Geoff Sims, Steve Schaefer and Rod Keeling, who became the...
(USBA)
- None (defunct)
Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)*
- None (FIAC did not have a strictly professional division during its existence).
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)*
- 1990 Pro Bronze Medal World Champion
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)*
- 1994 Superclass 20" Silver Medal World Champion
Pro Series Championships
Notable accolades
- He became the first racer in ABA history to quadrupleQuadrupleQuadruple may refer to:* Tuple, a mathematical structure* Quadruple, a term for winning four association trophies* Quad , a figure skating jump* Home run in baseball* Quadruple-precision floating-point format in computing...
at a national, winning 12 Expert, 11-12 Open, 12 & Under Cruiser and 11-12 Trophy Dash at the ABA Spring Nationals on May 30, 1983. His birthday was only five days away, which at that time would had moved him up an age group and he would had faced presumably stiffer competition. However, quadrupling was nothing new to Matt. He also quadrupled at the Wheaties US Gold Cup Qualifier #2 in Tempe, ArizonaTempe, ArizonaTempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
on March 27, 1983. Greg Liggins did it twice in 1982 in triple point races, including the 1982 ABA Gold Cup Finals in late November 1982. He also accomplished this feat a few days prior to his birthday and being moved up an age group. - Named the twelfth (12) of the 25 Hottest amateurs in BMX racing in a 1984 survey conducted by BMX Plus! for the opinions of four prominent figures in BMX: Two racers, Brent PattersonBrent Patterson (BMX rider)Brent Hathaway Patterson is a former American "Old School" bicycle motocross racer....
and Mike PoulsonMike PoulsonMichael Poulson is an American "Old School" former professional Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1981-1987.-Racing career milestones:...
; and two team officials: Dr. Gary Scofield of GT, Howard Wharthon of Diamond Back. - Named one of eight top amateurs deemed top "Pros of the Future" by Super BMX & Freestyle magazine along with Billy GriggsBilly GriggsWilliam Luther Griggs is an American "Old School/Mid School" former professional Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1985 to 1996....
, Eric CarterEric CarterEric Robert Carter is a former American professional "Old/Mid School" Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1983 to 1998...
, Doug Davis, Mike King Brent Romero, Darwin Griffin and Brad Birdwell. - Named one of BMX Actions "Terrible 10" Top Amateurs of 1988.
- Named 19th out of 21 racers deemed BMX's Hottest Amateurs in 1988 from a BMX Plus! poll of seven team managers which included Don Crupi of MCS, Mike Seevers of GT, Yvonne Shoup of Free Agent, Dave Custodero of Mongoose, Mike Donell of Revcore, Bill Nelson of Robinson and Racer/Team Manager of Diamond Back Harry LearyHarry LearyHarry Clarence Leary Jr. was a "Old School" professional bicycle motocross racer....
.
Significant injuries
- Dislocated shoulder in first turn crash at the 1998 NBL Christmas Classic in Columbus, OhioColumbus, OhioColumbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
in Late December 1998 - Bruised KidneyKidneyThe kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
in crash at the 1998 ABA U.S Nationals in Bakersfield, CaliforniaBakersfield, CaliforniaBakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....
. Missed a few races recuperating.
BMX and general press magazine interviews and articles
- "#1 Matt Hadan on a cruiser" American BMXer November 1987 Vol.9 No.10 pg.22
- "New Kids on the Block" Go September 1990 Vol.1 Iss.11 pg.52 A joint interview article with fellow rookie pros Steve VeltmanSteve VeltmanStephen James Veltman is a former American "Old School/Mid School" professional Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1981–1983 and 1989 to 1998...
and Kenny MayKenny MayKenneth Henry May is a former American professional "Old/Mid School" Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1985 to 2000....
. - "Young Guns!!!" BMX Plus! October 1990 Vol.13 No.10 pg.64 Joint interview with fellow rookie pros Eric CarterEric CarterEric Robert Carter is a former American professional "Old/Mid School" Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1983 to 1998...
, Tim Hall, Steve Veltman, and Kenny May. - "NBL National #1 Amateurs" BMX Plus! January 1990 Vol.13 No.1 pg.70 Brief interview with Hadan describing his effort to win the 18 & Over Expert NBL title. Included is a list of the National Age Group (NAG) No.1s in 1989.
- "matt hadan" Snap BMX Magazine November/December 1996 Vol.3 Iss.6 No.13 pg.34
- "Q&A: Have you ever cheated racing?" Snap BMX Magazine May 1999 Vol.6 Iss.3 No.31 pg.25 One of 10 seprerate interviews of different racers including Brian Foster and Dale HolmesDale HolmesDale John Holmes was a British professional "Old/Mid School" Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1990-2004. He is now a respected champion mountain bike racer....
asking if they ever cheated during a race.
BMX magazine covers
----Minicycle/BMX Action & Super BMX:
- Super BMX & Freestyle March 1987 Vol.14 No.3 (5) behind Doug Davis (4). In inset freestyler Steve Klander
Bicycle Motocross Action & Go:
- May 1987 Vol.12 No.5 (BMXA)
- October 1990 Vo.1 Iss.12 (Go)
BMX Plus!:
- August 1989 Vol.12 No.8 in main image (obscured silver black/blue helmet) behined in foreground Eric CarterEric CarterEric Robert Carter is a former American professional "Old/Mid School" Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1983 to 1998...
(Schwinn) with Travis Chipres (Mongoose), Billy GriggsBilly GriggsWilliam Luther Griggs is an American "Old School/Mid School" former professional Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1985 to 1996....
(Redline), GT's Mike Ellis and Haro's Mike King obscured in black/silver helmet with no."1". Also in top insert with aforementioned.
Total BMX:
Bicycles and Dirt (ABA Publication):
- None
Snap BMX Magazine & Transworld BMX:
- Smap September 1999 Vol.6 Iss.7 No35
Twenty BMX:
BMX World:
NBA World & NBmxA (The official NBA/NBmxA membership publication):
Bicycles Today & BMX Today (The official NBL membership publication with one name change.):
ABA Action, American BMXer, BMXer (The official ABA membership publication with two name changes):
- April 1986 Vol.8 No.3 (1) ahead of Robert MacPhersonRobert MacPherson (BMX racer)Robert D. MacPherson was a professional American "Old/Mid School" Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1995-2001...
(3)
USBA Racer (The official USBA membership publication):